How moving inspired me to hit “restart”

In March, I moved. Again.

I’ve moved (relatively) frequently in my adulthood — every five or seven years, even when the kids were young.

This time, I moved to a new house here in San Francisco.

Moving can be quite stressful. Putting your entire life into boxes. Hoping your furniture makes it without any damage. Getting settled in a new neighborhood and a brand-new environment.

But to me, the change is a catalyst for re-examination.

Sure, I looked at the personal belongings I pulled out of the boxes. I asked myself if I still needed it — or wanted it. (With my desire for a minimalist life and simplifying, there have been a lot of no’s!)

But I didn’t stop there. Now, I’m re-examining things I might have taken for granted: my work, my friends, the way I think about the world.

It’s been an interesting opportunity to look at things from a different perspective and to consider how I can reshape them.

Some opportunities are smaller, like charting new paths to get to my old places. It’s no longer a well-worn path I can travel on autopilot!

Others feel much larger and more expansive — for example, the way I’m looking at this house as a blank canvas. (My old apartment’s occupants are probably thinking the same thing looking at how sterile it is! But I knew that home was temporary, so I didn’t invest time in picking out the perfect paint color.)

I might live here for the next 20 years, so every wall is an opportunity to paint my world and my life. I keep looking at the plain, white walls and asking, “What will I do with that? What can I do with that?”

One exercise I’m really enjoying is “quieting a room,” a concept I learned from Myquillin Smith’s Cozy Minimalism. The practice involves removing everything from a room (except large furniture) to assess how you move through and use the space. I’m even using this practice to quiet my mind! I’m removing everything, examining it, and then deciding if I want to toss it or group it.

It’s like playing tetris to make all the pieces fit, and — instead of making this move an interruptive, stressful event — quieting my rooms and my mind has helped me see this as an opportunity to step back and start fresh.

If you can’t physically move right now, how can you re-examine your space? How can you look at your life from a different perspective? Maybe you can’t quiet your whole house or your entire life. Try one room or just one area of your life.

Because a life well-examined is a life well-lived.

– Charlene

My Latest:

• Only a third of people realize Netflix and Spotify use AI. If we want to build trust in AI, we have to be transparent about when it’s being used! Check out my latest livestream for PA Consulting’s latest research on this transparency.

• Neuroscience AI is incredibly powerful technology. But is the surveillance it relies on good? In Leading Disruption, I shared my colleague Scott Segal’s insights — and how companies can take responsible advantage of attention AI.

• AI is a disruptive force, which is good — and bad. Join me on Tuesday, April 18 at 9 am PT for a discussion about the opportunities and risks associated with AI and how to deal with the whiplash between exciting and scary.

Good Things:

• What I’m reading: Outlive by Peter Attia. Besides my house, I’ve also been examining my “healthspan”, which Peter Attia defines as how long you are physically and mentally able to do the things that you love (like travel, playing with your grandkids, taking a walk in the park)? His book is a masterful and scientific look at ways to extend your healthspan with exercise, nutrition, and sleep to your mental health. I’m listening to it (while walking/working out, cooking good food, etc. of course!) and also taking notes in the hardcover. I love the book and am giving it to many of my fellow mid-life friends.

• What I’m rethinking: What it means to be anxious. My fellow author Morra Aarons-Mele’s new book “The Anxious Achiever” examines how anxiety shows up at work and how to protect boundaries, time, and energy. Listen to the HBR IdeaCast podcast with Morra where she has recommendations for organizations trying to enhance mental health in their workforces.

• What I’m learning and hacking: Fairly frequently, I say to myself, “There outta be an app for that!” One example is when I’m sent a Calendly scheduling link to set up a meeting. I also use Calendly and I wish I could just have the two calendars “talk” to each other and figure out common times. My programming knowledge is limited to very basic HTML so I’m using ChatGPT 4 to create the app. In two hours, I’ve learned how to install and script in Python, set up a secure testing site with Ngrok, and accessed the Calendly API. I’m debugging, but I’m looking forward to sharing the results with you soon!